Method and apparatus for improving the high current operation of bipolar transistors while minimizing adverse affects on high frequency response are disclosed. A local implant to increase the doping of the collector at the collector to base interface is achieved by the use of an angled ion implant of collector impurities through the emitter opening. The resulting area of increased collector doping is larger than the emitter opening, which minimizes carrier injection from the emitter to the collector, but is smaller than the area of the base.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method, comprising: forming a first conductivity region in a substrate, the substrate having a surface; forming a collector region having a second conductivity type and extending downward from the surface of the substrate; forming a base region having a surface area and extending downward from the surface of the substrate within a portion of the collector region; forming an emitter opening on top of the base region, the emitter opening being smaller than the surface area of the base region; forming a collector tap opening on the surface of the substrate spaced from the base region; forming a first area of the collector region vertically adjacent the base region having an increased collector doping, the first area having an effective horizontal area greater than the emitter opening and less than an area of the base region which is vertically adjacent the collector region; and forming a second area of the collector region under the collector tap opening to have an increased collector doping and an effective horizontal area greater than the collector tap opening through which the second area is formed.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the emitter opening includes forming an emitter in the emitter opening.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein forming the emitter includes introducing an impurity of the second conductivity type.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein forming the emitter is performed after at least one of forming the first area and forming the second area.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein forming the emitter is performed after forming the first area.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the collector tap opening includes forming the collector tap opening in a resist layer on the surface of the substrate spaced from the base region.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein forming the emitter opening includes forming the emitter opening in a resist layer on the surface of the substrate essentially aligned with the base region.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the first area includes implanting dopant through the emitter opening.
9. A method, comprising: forming a first conductivity region in a substrate, the substrate having a surface; forming a collector region having a second conductivity type and extending downward from the surface of the substrate; forming a base region having a surface area and extending downward from the surface of the substrate into a portion of the collector region; forming an emitter opening on top of the base region, the emitter opening being smaller than the surface area of the base region; forming a collector tap opening spaced from the base region; applying an ion beam to implant impurities at a depth consistent with an interface between the collector region and the base region to form a first area of the collector region vertically adjacent the base region, the first area having an increased collector doping, the first area having an effective horizontal area greater than an area of the emitter opening and less than an area of the base region which is vertically adjacent the collector region; and applying an ion beam to implant impurities at a depth consistent with the interface between the collector region and the base region to form a second area of the collector region through the collector tap opening, the second area having an increased collector doping and an effective horizontal area greater than the collector tap opening through which the second area is formed.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of applying the ion beam steps includes angling the ion beam with respect to the surface of the substrate such that the area of the implants are greater than the areas of the openings through which they are formed.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein angling the ion beam includes angling the ion beam in the range of about 20 to 30 degrees from an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the applying the ion beam steps includes angling the ion beam relative to the surface of the substrate to result in the first area being larger than the second area.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the applying the ion beam steps includes turning the substrate with respect to the ion beam to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
14. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the applying the ion beam steps includes tilting the substrate with respect to the ion beam to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
15. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the applying the ion beam steps includes applying an ion beam having an energy in the range of 50 to 150 keV.
16. A method, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a collector well in the substrate; forming a base in the collector well such that a base-to-collector contact area is formed; forming an implant region at a portion of the base-to-collector contact area such that the implant region forms a part of the base-to-collector contact area and has an implant region surface area; forming an emitter in the base aligned with the implant region, wherein the emitter has a surface area less than the implant region surface area; and forming a collector tap in the collector well through an opening in the substrate, wherein the collector tap has an area greater than an area of the opening through which the collector tap is formed.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the implant region includes applying an ion beam through an opening at a surface of the substrate to dope the implant region.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein applying the ion beam includes implanting impurities at a depth consistent with the base-to-collector contact area to form the implant region.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein applying the ion beam includes angling the ion beam with respect to the surface of the substrate such that an area of the implant region is greater than an area of the opening through which the implant region is formed.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein angling the ion beam includes angling the ion beam in the range of about 20 to 30 degrees from normal to the surface of the substrate.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein applying the ion beam includes tilting the substrate with respect to the ion beam to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
22. The method of claim 19 , wherein applying the ion beam includes turning the substrate with respect to the ion beam to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
23. The method of claim 17 , wherein applying the ion beam includes applying an ion beam having energy in the range of 50 to 150 keV.
24. The method of claim 17 , wherein applying the ion beam includes applying the ion beam to a second location such that the second location is doped by the ion beam.
25. A method, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a collector well in the substrate; forming a base in the collector well such that a base-to-collector contact area is formed; masking the substrate to form an emitter opening at a surface of the base, the emitter opening having an emitter opening area; forming an implant region at a portion of the base-to-collector contact area through the emitter opening such that the implant region forms a part of the base-to-collector contact area and has an implant region surface area; forming an emitter in the base through the emitter opening, the emitter being aligned with the implant region and having a surface area less than the implant region surface area; and forming a collector tap in the collector well through a collector tap opening on the substrate, wherein the collector tap has a surface area greater than a surface of the collector tap opening through which the collector tap is formed.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein forming the implant region includes applying an ion beam through the emitter opening to dope the implant region.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein applying the ion beam includes implanting appropriate impurities at a depth consistent with the base-to-collector contact area to from the implant region.
28. The method of claim 27 , wherein applying the ion beam includes angling the ion beam through the emitter opening such that the area of the implant region is greater than the emitter opening.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein angling the ion beam includes angling the ion beam in the range of about 20 to 30 degrees from normal to the surface of the substrate.
30. The method of claim 28 , wherein applying the ion beam includes tilting the substrate with respect to the ion beam to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
31. The method of claim 28 , wherein applying the ion beam includes turning the substrate with respect to the ion beam to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
32. The method of claim 26 , wherein applying the ion beam includes applying an ion beam having energy in the range of 50 to 150 keV.
33. A method, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a collector well in the substrate; forming a base in the collector well such that a base-to-collector contact area is formed; masking the substrate to form a first opening and a second opening at a surface of the base, the first opening having a first area, the second opening having a second area; forming an implant first region at a portion of the base-to-collector contact area through the first opening such that the first region forms a part of the base-to-collector contact area and has a first region surface area; forming an implant second region through the second opening such that the second region has a second region surface area that is greater than an area of the surface opening; and forming an emitter in the base through the first opening, the emitter being aligned with the first region and having a surface area less than the first region surface area.
34. The method of claim 33 , wherein the forming the implant second region includes forming the implant second region in the collector.
35. The method of claim 33 , wherein forming the implant second region includes forming the second region surface to have a horizontal area greater than the second area.
36. The method of claim 33 , wherein forming the first implant region and forming the second implant region include simultaneously applying ion beams through the first opening and the second opening.
37. The method of claim 36 , wherein applying the ion beams includes angling the ion beams through the first and second openings.
38. The method of claim 37 , wherein angling the ion beams includes angling the ion beam in the range of about 20 to 30 degrees from normal to the surface of the substrate.
39. The method of claim 36 , wherein applying the ion beams includes tilting the substrate with respect to the ion beams to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
40. The method of claim 39 , wherein applying the ion beams includes turning the substrate with respect to the ion beams to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
41. The method of claim 36 , wherein applying the ion beam includes applying ion beams having energy in the range of 50 to 150 keV.
42. A method, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a collector well in the substrate; forming a base in the collector well such that a base-to-collector contact area is formed; masking the substrate to from an emitter opening at a surface of the base, the emitter opening having an emitter opening area; rasterizing an ion beam over the substrate such that the ion beam transmits through the emitter opening to dope an implant region at a portion of the base-to-collector contact area, wherein the portion forms a part of the base-to-collector contact area and has an implant region surface area that is less than the base-to-collector contact area; forming an emitter in the base through the emitter opening, the emitter being aligned with the implant region and having a surface area less than the implant region surface area; and wherein rasterizing includes transmitting the ion beam through a collector opening to dope a second implant region in the collector well such that the second implant region has a horizontal area greater than a horizontal area of the collector opening.
43. The method of claim 42 , wherein rasterizing the ion beam includes implanting appropriate impurities at a depth consistent with the base-to-collector contact area to form the implant region.
44. The method of claim 42 , wherein rasterizing the ion beam includes angling the ion beam through the emitter opening such that an area of the implant region is greater than the emitter opening.
45. The method of claim 44 , wherein angling the ion beam includes angling the ion beam in the range of about 20 to 30 degrees from normal to the surface of the substrate.
46. The method of claim 42 , wherein rasterizing the ion beam includes tilting the substrate with respect to the ion beam to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
47. The method of claim 42 , wherein rasterizing the ion beam includes turning the substrate with respect to the ion beam to obtain a desired angle of implantation.
48. The method of claim 42 , wherein rasterizing the ion beam includes applying an ion beam having energy in the range 50 to 150 keV.
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November 8, 1999
August 27, 2002
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